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Catch Mary Palmer Dargan’s Lecture at Magnolia Plantation and Gardens in Charleston

Have you wanted to plant or design a romantic garden for your home? If so, mark your calendar for Friday, November 14th, so you do not miss Hugh and Mary Palmer Dargan’s lecture at Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, located at 3550 Ashley River Road in Charleston. For the general admission adult price of only $15.00, you can attend the lecture in Magnolia’s Orientation Theatre and enjoy the gardens afterwards with a new perspective.

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Source: Dargan Landscape Architects via Facebook

The lecture will explore romantic-style gardening and its influence. Magnolia Plantation and Gardens provides a perfect location for such an event as it is the last large-scale romantic garden in America. As a licensed and vastly experienced landscape architect, Mary Palmer will share the knowledge she has gained from extensive travels both home and abroad, and how they played a part in her romantic garden designs. 

Having designed many beautiful romantic gardens in Charleston and other areas in North Carolina and Georgia, Mary Palmer will discuss how a romantic garden differs from a formal garden. She will also share tips on how to create a romantic garden within your own landscape. Mary Palmer believes, “A romantic garden provides the perfect canvas for creative thought and inspiration to solace your soul.” Not only will you learn the fundamental elements to this style of gardening, you are guaranteed to find some inspiration in Mary Palmer’s words.

Steeped in history, Magnolia Plantation has been family-owned for more than 300 years. In the late 17th century the gardens were started and during the 18th century their beauty and size expanded exponentially, however, it was not until the 19th century that they took on the grand scale that they maintain today. 

Join Mary Palmer of Dargan Landscape Architects as she details this beautiful, romantic style of gardening and bask in the beauty of the Magnolia Plantation and Gardens.

Join Mary Palmer Dargan at the North Georgia Camellia Society

Are you struggling to bring camellias into your landscape design? On Monday, Nov. 10, Mary Palmer Dargan would like to invite you to a lecture titled, “Camellias Dazzle your Landscape Design with Flowers, Form and Structure.” Presented by Mary Palmer herself, this lecture will be held at the North Georgia Camellia Society, which meets at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens in Atlanta, Ga on the second Monday of each month.  

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As a licensed and storied landscape architect and designer, Mary Palmer will share her knowledge with you about creating idyllic garden designs featuring camellias. Due to the vast variety, size, color and multi-season blooming capabilities of this versatile flowering plant, understanding the important concepts in Mary’s lecture will help inspire your creative endeavors. Mary will also share some of her tips and tricks on how best to work with camellias.

Members of the non-profit North Georgia Camellia Society meet on the second Monday of every month from September through April at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. They share their passion for camellias, as well as their ideas for grafting, planting and maintaining these beautiful plants.

As low-maintenance shrubs, camellias can easily be incorporated into garden designs as a privacy screen or even a shrub border. Although the appropriate spot for planting is critical to their growth success, camellias are a hardy shrub and can grow as tall as 12 feet.  And according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, they thrive best in hardiness zones seven through nine.

Come join Mary Palmer Dargan on Nov. 10 and learn more about this incredible flowering shrub. To learn more about Mary Palmer and Dargan Landscape Architects, we invite you to browse around our website, or contact us to discuss the design and development of your idyllic garden.

Compost Your Leaves this Fall to Benefit Your Landscape

There are many things you can do with leaves after you’ve raked and piled them up (and let the kids jump in them a few times, of course). You can stash them in a hidden corner of your yard and forget about them. You can burn them. Or, you can bag them up and put the bags on a curb to be picked up by a city services truck.

But anyone interested in sustainability, gardening or environmentally friendly living would never miss an opportunity to use carbon-rich leaves in order to better their soil and benefit their landscape.

In addition to an increased awareness of the environmental benefits of composting, this gardening practice has become even more popular in many areas throughout the U.S. thanks to new laws that prohibit the dumping of leaves and clippings into landfills.

sustainable landscape maintenance tips
Source: J. Tallman Brothers via Houzz

There are three basic ingredients required to start a compost pile: Browns, greens and water. Browns refer to materials like dead leaves, twigs and branches. Greens include grass clippings, vegetable scraps, fruit scraps and coffee grounds. Your compost pile will need equal parts browns and greens. Check out the EPA’s list of What to Compost for more guidance.

When starting a compost pile, we suggest creating a bin-like structure five or six feet in diameter with simple chicken wire. Pile your greens and browns using a layering technique, making sure to keep it moist by watering along the way. The moisture levels must be just right, as your compost can’t be too wet or too dry.

But composting is more than creating a pile and letting it decompose on its own. You have to regularly maintain your compost pile to ensure it is active and thriving. In addition to being watered, compost piles need to be turned once or twice a month. By springtime, you’ll have a healthy additive to combine with your soil to help plants grow healthy and strong.

If you  would like a worksheet about “The Leaf Pile” please save your spot at http//www.landscapeyourlife.com

Will you add leaves to your compost bin this fall? Leave a comment below to share with us!

Are you interested in a master plan for your garden or perhaps a tune-up? Let the specialists at Dargan Landscape Architects help you get started with your next project. We’ll nurture your landscape and heal the earth while also beautifying your property. Let us help you hear Nature speak as we Heal the Earth one Garden at a Time!